Southern brown bandicoots are again breeding in Booderee National Park after disappearing from the area for about a century a nationally significant result built through reintroduction and long-term care on Country.
The small ground-dwelling marsupials play an ecological role that is easy to miss. Their digging turns soil mixes organic material and creates small sites where water and seeds can collect.
Re-establishing them requires more than releasing animals. Predator control habitat management monitoring and collaboration with Traditional Owners all determine whether a population becomes self-sustaining.
Booderee’s result offers a model for restoration elsewhere but also a warning against declaring victory early. Population growth genetic health and the persistence of predators all need continued attention.
Source: Parks Australia